Thank you to Delacorte Romance and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This was a great palate cleanser after I read two heavy books in a row to have a high school romance tied into a family story with sweetness throughout. Finley has blind spots like everyone but is still a compelling enough character and Theo is just this side of super dreamy. Jensen is a mediocre white man who does not understand the world but he has been catered to and yes, we keep him as our villain. This was a quick read for me where I could turn off my brain and let it all wash over me. 3.5 stars.

3 stars
Sex: no
Language: no

This felt like a formulaic “teen movie” with the cliche heartless, selfish jock villain. There was no nuance to Jensen. In general, the characters and plot fell a bit flat. Finley and Theo had good chemistry and I enjoyed their banter, but Theo was hard to figure out. His character felt inconsistent at times. The best part of the book by far was Finley’s interviews with her grandma and the search for pieces of her history. Those scenes had heart and kept me invested. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC to review!

Better Than Revenge was a fun YA romance! I really liked the set-up of Finley getting humiliated and bested for the podcast spot by her ex, Jensen, and then vowing revenge. I appreciated the enemies to lovers vibe generated between Theo and Finley and that her revenge came in the form of a sports victory, which is a fun play on a frequent trope. Theo and Finley's romance was really sweet and their banter was pretty darn good. I also loved the sub-plot of Finley's story with her grandmother losing her memories and Finley's efforts to capture them via her podcast. Overall, this was a pretty solid romance and my students will eat it up!

This was fun, lighthearted YA romcom. As a lover and frequent listener of podcasts, this drew me right in and piqued my interest. This has sort of a trading places kind of premise, which I thought was fun. I think the overall plot ultimately came across a little juvenile, but overall it was a quick and light read.

I love Kasie West's books. This one was just as good as her others. It felt very cotemporary without feeling like it will date itself quickly. I loved the banter and commodore between the characters, not just the main couple but with her best friends as well. Such a fun and fluffy read. Feels like relaxing with a good friend. A much needed break.

An okay ya romance. I did like the revenge plot and the romance. My biggest complaint is the writing style. There was often too much descriptor or unnecessary detail given regarding the actions or thought process of the FMC

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I have always been a fan of Kasie West’s contemporary books. They are a nice slice of life story that I can read, enjoy, and then promptly forget about. And I mean that in such a positive way!

Better Than Revenge is following Finley who is trying out for her school’s podcast team. When her boyfriend, Jensen, decides to audition, Finley decides to get the perfect revenge by trying out for Jensen’s spot on the school’s football team.

This book had a lot of layers to its plot, which can either go really well or not at all. This one I would say was solidly in the middle for me. We’re following a plot with her grandma, who has Alzheimer’s, as well as the plotline of Finley working with Jensen’s nemesis Theo to become a great kicker to try out for the football team. There were moments when I forgot about the football plotline because we were following her with her grandma for a while. Then there were times when I forgot the grandma plotline because we were following her football events for a bit.

Overall, I thought the book was good. I still enjoy reading Kasie West books, but as I have grown farther from the YA age group, I’m not as invested in them as I used to be. I had a nice time listening to this one and I will continue to pick up Kasie West books in the future. I am giving this book 4 stars.

It was fine for a middle grade book I'd say. It was honestly enjoyable. I thought the length of the book was a decent size, and the character development was written well. The plotline was conveyed nicely, so yeah! Good job Kasie!

Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost from the publisher/author. I am leaving a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Kasie West has written some of my all-time favorite young adult romance books so I was so thrilled when I saw this book announced. Throw in that it revolves around football and also has a breathtaking cover? I was floored.

Kasie West has a writing style that is easy to connect with. Her stories flow smoothly and the pacing is just right. I fell right into this story from the very start. The plot of this book was very compelling. I was all-in with this revenge plot and was so compelled to know how it would turn out. I also loved the secondary story surrounding Finley's grandmother. It was adorable and so enchanting.

I loved the diverse cast of characters with unique personalities. Finley's character drove me up the wall at times with her decisions and behavior but I never disliked her character. She was still relatable. I enjoyed Theo's character but would have loved a deeper dive into his background and thought process. All of the secondary characters were delightful. I loved Finley's friend group and how supportive they were. There was so much character growth in this story and it was so glorious to see. Both main characters go through a transformation.

This romance was just so darn cute. It was so obvious that Theo had a thing for Finley from the start. They had the best banter and their chemistry was palpable. I loved how their romance was so organic and natural. Theo's grovel at the end of the book was pretty epic and it melted my heart a bit.

Overall, this is an adorable story full of betrayal, revenge, and personal growth. The main character goes on quite a personal journey in her quest for revenge and finds closure and love along the way. The secondary characters were a delight and the plot had me completely hooked. Pick this one up if you enjoy sweet young adult sports romance with compelling characters and a riveting premise.

Absolutely adorable high school romance! My daughter always raves about Kasie West books, so I decided to give one a try. I can definitely see why she enjoys them so much. The characters were lovable. The banter was great. The real-life high school problems were relatable for many students. I loved it.

Better than Revenge was a really cute YA romance novel with a unique and original idea. FMC Finley has always wanted to be a podcaster, but when she finds out her boyfriend tried out for the coveted spot on their school's podcast team on a whim and beat her to it using her own stolen idea, she immediately dumps him and starts training with football kicker Theo to take her ex's desired position on the football team.

For me, the best part of this book was the B-plot of Finley's grandma's stories. I loved how Finley's investment went beyond just practicing interviewing, how she was so genuinely interested in learning about her grandma's life and patient with her condition. It added such a fun layer to the story and makes everything so much more meaningful.

Of course, not to say that the main couple wasn't adorable. Theo and Finley have that classic Kasie West chemistry that has me hooked on anything she writes, and their dynamic was so much fun to read. The only thing that put me off a bit was the way their relationship developed so fast and kind of out of nowhere – In the first chapter before Finley's ex auditions for the podcast, she's still very much invested in him, and while I get that what he did was an absolute jerk move, it seems like it should have taken a little more time before someone like Finley would jump right into another relationship. It threw me off a bit, but I still think they're very cute together.

Finally, an honorable mention needs to go to Finley's personal character development. Her journey from her rage-fueled scheming at the start to gradually ending up in a place of realizing the importance of forgiving and doing things for the right reasons highlights her growth in a remarkable way, and made this story leave a good taste in my mouth at the end. I'm so proud of her.

I’m a sucker for Kasie West’s YA romance. They always give me all the warm and fuzzies and I love how her characters always have so much growth by the end of the story. Better Than Revenge did not disappoint.

Finley has broken up with Jensen (who’s a total gaslighting douche). Not only that, but he’s also taken her podcaster dream job. So of course Finley plans to get revenge by taking his spot on the football team. So she picks the perfect person to train her, Jensen’s nemesis, Theo.

Finley and Theo were adorable. Their banter was great. I loved how their friendship blossomed. I also really enjoyed the side story about the grandma and how Finley used her stories for a podcast. It was so cute following both love stories.

If you love sweet and fun YA romcoms definitely pick this one up.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to kiss you?” he asked before his mouth covered mine. “Three weeks?” I guessed, against his lips, referencing the day in the bathroom. The day I’d realized how hot he was. “Longer than that,” he said, his hands sliding around my waist. “And it was worth the wait.”

A huge thanks to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for review. All thoughts are my own.

While not my favorite by Kasie West, this was still a great read with an even better lesson. It was really hard for me to understand how Finley spent an entire year with a boy, completely in love, and he did such a 180. It was so extremely unbelievable. And the ending was ridiculous. But it’s a cute love story about finding yourself when things don’t go your way.

I wanted to enjoy this book because Kaise West’s books are very popular at my library, but it was only okay for me. I never warmed up to Finely or Theo, which made it hard to care about the book. Also, the football plot felt underdeveloped. The most interesting part of the book was Finely's podcast about her grandmother, and it wasn't as prominent as I would have liked. The book is good for younger teens looking for a romance, but it won't be my first recommendation.

This book was so cute! A high school romance has not recently been what I have been gravitating towards, but these characters were very mature through out the book. The more serious material in this book was great to see in the point of view of younger people. The representation of younger people having to grieve before living in the real world is unfortunately the reality for many people. The author really captured authentic ways that students may cope with the cards they’re dealt.

I love Kasie West, I love a Taylor Swift lyric, and I love schemes. What I'm saying is this book was basically meant for me!

This book was fun. A little bit too much high school drama for me at times but I can see how others would love it.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book. I really enjoyed it!

This story offers a fun, lighthearted take on revenge and romance. Finley tries to steal her ex-boyfriend's spot on the high school football team after he stole her stop on the school's podcast. In the meantime, there's unexpected chemistry with Theo who is helping Finley achieve her revenge goal. Theo adds charm and is a nice balance for Finley's character. Overall, the tension and conflict was pretty surface level.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's, & Delacorte Romance for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

🎙️ Revenge, romance, and some serious podcast drama? YES, please! @kasiewest Better Than Revenge is a touchdown for all my fellow rom-com lovers! Let’s spill the tea (and the Gatorade):

Plot? Juicy AF.
Finley’s on her way to podcast fame until her ugh-worthy ex, Jensen, steals her idea and her spotlight. Enter Theo—a cocky, grinning, football-playing heartthrob who just so happens to hate Jensen as much as she does.

The plan? Team up for the ultimate revenge. The catch? Sparks start flying faster than Theo runs plays on the field. 🏈🔥

The characters? ICONIC.
✨ Finley: Sass queen with a podcast dream and a heart of gold.
✨ Theo: Certified swoon machine. He’s charming, protective, and his dimples deserve their own fan club.
✨ Jensen: Walking red flag 🚩, but don’t worry—he gets what’s coming.
✨ The Squad: Deja, Maxwell, and Lee = friends who make everything 10x funnier.

🎙️Favorite moments? Hold my mic!
From Finley and Theo’s first hilariously awkward run-in (men’s bathroom chaos, anyone? 🚻🤣) to late-night podcast brainstorms and Theo’s jaw-dropping grand gesture, I was hooked. And let’s not forget the epic football banter and Finley’s savage comebacks. 🙌

Vibes? Immaculate.
This book is like a cozy Friday night: full of laughter, feels, and a sprinkle of drama. Kasie West delivers witty banter, slow-burn chemistry, and that just-right dose of character growth.

If you’re craving a rom-com with ✨ALL✨ the swoons, grab Better Than Revenge! Don’t walk—RUN—to grab this one! 🏈✨